Version 1.0
November 24, 2015
Media and Technology
Sports Marketing, B8680
Course Description and Syllabus
Spring 2015
Sports Marketing, B8680
A Term: Thursdays 4:00 to 7:15 PM
Location: Uris 331
Instructor: Grant Son
Contact Information: gjs17@columbia.edu or grant@greatergoodventures.com
Course is designed for students interested in marketing and have either a personal or
professional interest in sports. Detailed knowledge of sports is not required. This
course is for students interested in learning about marketing and innovation with
possible career interest in marketing.
This course builds on the Core Marketing course and will answer the question: how can
one identify a product or service to develop into a workable marketing plan? The
objective is to gain insight into marketing new products and services in a sports industry
through a combination of analyzing case studies, preparing the assigned readings and
exercises, participating in class discussions, interacting with guest speakers and
practitioners, and creating a marketing plan for a new product or service.
Tools and concepts taught in the course:
 Analyzing market data.
 Assessing market size and opportunities.
 Identifying business problems.
 Developing marketing solutions.
 Creating Go-to-Market plans.
Areas of focus for the course:
 Marketing athletes, sports teams and leagues
 Sports digital media and social media marketing
 Fan engagement: fantasy sports and eSports
 Wearable fitness technology: smart watches
 Sports entrepreneurship and innovation
Reading: Required and recommended
 Required: Case studies and readings assigned each session.

Time will be reserved each week to discuss a current event topic.
Grading: Individual and small group
 Individual: Weekly case/class discussion assignments due before session. Onepage write up.
 Individual: Class Participation including attendance and individual presentations
of the weekly case/class assignment.
 Small group: Final presentation: Six-page deck and five-minute presentation
given in the last class.
Grading:
 30%: Weekly case/class discussion assignments due before sessions 2,3,4, and
5.
 30%: Class Participation including attendance and individual presentations of the
weekly case/class assignment.
 40% Final presentation: 6-page deck and 3-minute presentation given in the last
class.
Case/Class Discussion Assignments
Each class meeting will end with a brief assignment to be completed prior to the start of
the next class. Students will prepare a one-page write up due before the start of each
class covering the case study or class material to be discussed in the next session.
Four assignments: weeks two, three, four and five.
The answers should be short and direct. One-page length. Although the write-ups should
be short, come to class prepared to discuss the analyses that you used to answer these
questions in detail. Questions may include a quantitative analysis of the problem facing
the decision-maker in the case. It is important that each student works on these
questions and submits their answers based on their independent work. Each student is
responsible, in-class, to be prepared to address these and other questions.
Final presentation:
Six-page deck and three-minute presentation given in the last class. Group project. Six
slides:
1. Name of venture plus summary: The grab or wow statement. Use your best elevator
pitch here. A good tip – how would you condense your pitch into 140 characters.
Keep it simple!
2. Problem and Solution
3. Market: All reference points: SOM (overall size), SAM (addressable: your market),
TOM (target market) and your competitive advantage. Demonstrate you understand
the pool you are jumping into and the path to success.
4. Business Model: Product/Service and Sales. This is often the place for a diagram to
help explain your product or service.
5. Go-to-Market plan. Explain your approach to sales & marketing and your path to
profitability.
6. Team: Introduction with roles & responsibilities. Can be two to four members and
will be graded accordingly.
Instructor: Grant Son




##
Professional experience includes serving as CEO of two digital ventures –
SchoolSports (top-10 sports website acquired by ESPN) and Greater Good Ventures
– as well as senior roles with iconic sports brands such as Sports Illustrated, the NFL
and CBS.
MBA in finance from Columbia and BA from the University of Pennsylvania.
Thirty years of experience, including twenty years in digital media. Board member
and advisor to established companies and more than 20 start-up ventures.
Attended every major sporting event, including six Super Bowls, World Cup Soccer,
World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, championship boxing, and two
Olympics.
CURRICULUM & SCHEDULE
January 28
Session One: Marketing athletes, sports teams and leagues
1. Marketing innovation



The Innovator’s DNA by Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton M.
Christensen, December 2009, Harvard Business Review
Entrepreneurship Education Reimagined by Gary Schoeniger, August 31, 2015,
the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative
Investors Swing for the Fences with $1B in Sports Tech Deals by Christine
Magee, Tech Crunch, April 24, 2015.
2. Marketing athletes

Case Study: Maria Sharapova: Marketing a Champion (A). Anita Elberse. May
2007 (revised March 2010).
3. Marketing sports teams and leagues

Case Study: The Globalization of the NFL. Juan Alcacer and Mary Furey. 2010.
Rev. October 25, 2012.
February 4
Session Two: Sports Digital Media – Mobile and Social Media Marketing
Sports Digital Media
1. Sports Mobile Media

Case Study: The NFL’s Digital Media Strategy. 2010.
2. Sports Social Media

Case Study: Social Strategy at Nike. 2012.
3. Super Bowl themed exercise Super Bowl 50 – Sunday, February 7
Other Reading:
 Fortune: Nike’s New Marketing Mojo by Scott Cendrowski, February 13, 2012
 New York Times: Marketing to Sports Fans Online, With Help From Google and
Social Networks (NFL). By Sydney Ember. September 7, 2015
*** Super Bowl 50 – Sunday, February 7 ***
February 11
Session Three: Fan Engagement
1. Fantasy Sports
Fantasy Sports reading:
 The New Yorker: Dream Teams, Professional Sports Bets on the Changing Nature of
Fandom by Ben McGrath. April 13, 2015
 McKinsey & Company: For Daily Fantasy-Sports Operators, The Curse of Too Much
Skill, September 2015, by Ed Miller and Daniel Singer
 Forbes: An Abbreviated History of FanDuel and DraftKings. Darren Heitner.
September 20, 2015.
 ESPN: Roger Goodell Draws Distinction Between DFS, Season-Long Fantasy. Ben
Goessling, November 21, 2015
 Forbes: Columbia Students Raise $2.2 Million for Fantasy Sports Startup. By Darren
Heitner, September 7, 2015.
 Additional articles to come prior to the start of the semester with updates on the
current status of daily fantasy sports.
2. eSports
eSports reading:
 Medium.com: eSports Market Ecosystem Map: Chris McCann. September 9, 2015
 ESPN: Resistance is futile: eSports is massive … and growing, June 12, 2015
 The Week: A League of Their Own: How League of Legends and e-Sports
Conquered America, August 25, 2015.
 New York Times: Drug Testing is Coming to E-Sports, July 23, 2015: NYTimes
 FORTUNE: This startup wants to bring you eSports in 4K streaming, July 30, 2015:
FORTUNE
 Forbes: The Development of eSports Arenas Makes Economic Sense, July 25, 2015:
Forbes
Fan Engagement reading:
 NY Times: For Online Sports Videos, the Action is No Longer on the Field. Conor
Doughtery. September 7, 2015.
February 18
Session 4: Marketing Wearable Fitness Technology
1. Four: Wearable Fitness Technology
 HBS Case Study: Apple Inc. 2015
 HBS Case Study: Apple’s Future: Apple Watch, Apple TV, and/or Apple Car?
Session reading:
 Sport Techie: These Connected Garments are Training Athletes Better. Michael
Levy. July 15, 2015.
 CNN Money: Smart clothes: The next big fitness craze? March 20, 2015.

New York Times: Today’s Soccer Gear: Shorts, Cleats, Shinguards and a GPS
Unit. Noah Davis. July 27, 2015
2. Final Presentation Project: Each group will propose their idea for approval.
February 25
Session Five: Sports Marketing for Startup Ventures: Entrepreneurship and
Innovation


Stanford Graduate School of Business Case: Identifying Venture Opportunities
Stanford Case Study: Thuuz Sports (go-to-market strategy)
(time permitting)
Marketing Sports Teams
Additional Case:
Case Study: Futbol Club Barcelona, October 2015
Additional Reading:
BBC: FC Barcelona: The Science Behind Their Success by Philip Ball. 18 November
2014.
Forbes: Real Madrid Tops Rankings of the World’s Most Valuable Soccer Teams by
Mike Ozanian. May 6, 2015
March 3
Week Six: Final Marketing Plan Presentations
Final Marketing Plan presentations:
Six-page deck and five-minute presentation. Group project. 6 slides:
1. Name of venture plus summary: Can be marketing plan for established company or
startup venture/idea. The grab or wow statement. Use your best elevator pitch here.
A good tip – how would you condense your pitch into 140 characters. Keep it simple!
2. Problem and Solution.
3. Market: All reference points: SOM (overall size), SAM (addressable: your market),
TOM (target market) and your competitive advantage.
4. Business Model: Product/Service and Sales.
5. Go-to-Market plan. Explain your approach to sales & marketing and your path to
profitability.
6. Team: Introduction with roles & responsibilities. Can be two to four members and
will be graded accordingly.